In all honesty, I would have never believed in the past that I would ever come across such a phenomenon in film music; a case of a brand new and long-awaited film score for an epic movie based on Frank Miller´s graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C in which several parts of a previously existing and respected score, this case being Elliot Goldenthal´s "Titus", would be directly and note-to-note duplicated, without the slightest bit of effort to actually manipulate or alter it so that the new music would not sound as an exact re-recording of the original material.

Bates´ "300" is a truly shocking case, something that becomes quickly apparent from the very first moments with pieces like "Come And Get Them"; bearing the same rhythm, sound design and metal clanging from the opening of "Titus" as the soldiers march into Rome or most evidently in “Returns a King” where the whole track that is "Victorious Titus" from "Titus" is bit-to-bit resembled. Bates doesn´t leave anything out: from the whole theme´s form, i.e. the exact beginning, repetitions, and climax, to the identical rhythms and tempo and all the way up to the arrangements and the exact orchestration with the deep-sounding male choir and the same heavy, marching metal clanging sounds that Goldenthal used in "Titus". Every single element from the afore-mentioned performances of the "Titus main theme" is all here and like this wasn´t enough, the final "300" cue, “Remember us”, is nothing more than an exact re-recording of the “Finale” from – surprise – "Titus".

As I don´t carry the exclusiveness of locating the specific problems with this score, I sincerely struggled so that this review wasn´t turned into a mere rant-parade and really tried my best to independently listen through the painfully-lot and repeated listens and get past the shameless resemblances so that I could possibly discover something different beyond the obvious. I was once again disappointed though to find out that the rest is a mixture of Gabriel Yared´s "Troy", particularly the characteristic female wailings, Hans Zimmer´s "Blackhawk Down" as far as the energetic and driving rock / metal electric guitar riffs, electric cello/violin and the same rhythms are concerned and influences from Bear McCreary´s "Battlestar Galactica" can also be traced along Bates´s use of percussion. The whole is completed by several dark and dissonant orchestral passages that utilize the brass section of the orchestra and various imposing, metallic percussive sounds In order to create an awe-inspiring atmosphere, sadly once again through the same ways and techniques Elliot Goldenthal does; yes, him again.

In all fairness, Tyler Bates own elements like the dark synths-and-samples with the overall dark and harsh atmosphere showcased in his works like "Slither" are also thrown in the mix, but sadly strike along merely as desperate, last-minute attempts to slip by and infuse some of his own musical identity in the score. Still, the production is very good and the sound is deep, rich and bassy, with the score enjoying truly brilliant performances and musicianship overall. This, in combination with an array of varying styles, moods and atmospheres that exist throughout "300" and with everything passed through a characteristically twisted, dark and edgy rock-n-orchestra prism, are enough to keep you sufficiently interested; provided that you manage to avoid the enormous clash with the Goldenthal fudges.

Since no sane human being would ever perform exact re-recordings of another, well-known composer´s themes, put them in a film and cd and sell them as their own without even bothering to alter the slightest bit of the originals or even present them in a way that would suggest simple plagiarism - a situation we´re all being used to in today´s film music world - I am completely convinced that it was not Bates´ direct decision to follow that route, him being an otherwise fine professional. Provided how Hollywood and film business operates as a whole in our days and also the fact that there´s no other logical explanation for something like this to occur, I would assume that Bates through a kind of forced adaptation of the afore-mentioned material, an adaptation under which he was not allowed to make even the slightest differentiation.

With this being said and the unsetting echoes of those resemblances still in my head, I can safely say that had Goldenthal´s "Titus" never been composed, we´d be seriously enjoying and talking about the charms of a particularly impressive, inspired and energetic score here. Sadly, reality bites.